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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
Originally posted on citygirlscapes.com.
I have a confession; I’m a big fan of the idea of Gothic literature, but anytime I try to read something of that genre, I never end up enjoying it as much as I know I ought to. This is what happened with The Girl from Rawblood by Catriona Ward. By all definitions, this is a near-perfect Gothic story. It’s won awards! And Ward’s love of classic literature and this genre is evident; it weaves in haunting, chilling storylines with family curses linked to falling in love, takes place in an eerie home called Rawblood and touches upon a number of atrocious deaths that span generations.
So why did I have such a hard time getting through it? It started off strong; I really liked the childhood narration of Iris. I enjoyed Iris’s voice and the way she saw the world, and I especially loved her doomed friendship with Tom. But as soon as I was settling into this, the narration changed to a medical diary of Charles Danforth, taking place sometime in the past.
The voice was obviously much different, very technical and structured and a bit too precise. It kind of counter acted the magic of Iris and it wasn`t until we flipped back to Iris`s narration did I find my footing again. This happens quite often through the book with a number of other view points and new characters. Though there is reason to this madness, I found it all quite distracting and at times hard to follow, not to mention somewhat lagging. It took me way too long to get through this book than it should have and I think I got lost somewhere in Iris’s past as we were taken through the generations of her family. I started having trouble telling which character was which, the timelines got all jumbled up and I just sort of lost interest in discovering this family secret.
It’s not often I lack an opinion about a book, but I feel as though I can’t offer anything this time around. I didn’t enjoy reading this, but that isn’t to say I thought this was a bad book. It’s creepy and haunting, I liked Ward’s writing, I think anyone who is accustomed to this kind of Gothic feel would really love and appreciate this, but I didn’t. As such, I don’t think it’s fair to give this a rating, but encourage anyone who is curious to give this a chance and see for themselves.
I have a confession; I’m a big fan of the idea of Gothic literature, but anytime I try to read something of that genre, I never end up enjoying it as much as I know I ought to. This is what happened with The Girl from Rawblood by Catriona Ward. By all definitions, this is a near-perfect Gothic story. It’s won awards! And Ward’s love of classic literature and this genre is evident; it weaves in haunting, chilling storylines with family curses linked to falling in love, takes place in an eerie home called Rawblood and touches upon a number of atrocious deaths that span generations.
So why did I have such a hard time getting through it? It started off strong; I really liked the childhood narration of Iris. I enjoyed Iris’s voice and the way she saw the world, and I especially loved her doomed friendship with Tom. But as soon as I was settling into this, the narration changed to a medical diary of Charles Danforth, taking place sometime in the past.
The voice was obviously much different, very technical and structured and a bit too precise. It kind of counter acted the magic of Iris and it wasn`t until we flipped back to Iris`s narration did I find my footing again. This happens quite often through the book with a number of other view points and new characters. Though there is reason to this madness, I found it all quite distracting and at times hard to follow, not to mention somewhat lagging. It took me way too long to get through this book than it should have and I think I got lost somewhere in Iris’s past as we were taken through the generations of her family. I started having trouble telling which character was which, the timelines got all jumbled up and I just sort of lost interest in discovering this family secret.
It’s not often I lack an opinion about a book, but I feel as though I can’t offer anything this time around. I didn’t enjoy reading this, but that isn’t to say I thought this was a bad book. It’s creepy and haunting, I liked Ward’s writing, I think anyone who is accustomed to this kind of Gothic feel would really love and appreciate this, but I didn’t. As such, I don’t think it’s fair to give this a rating, but encourage anyone who is curious to give this a chance and see for themselves.
slow-paced
I will probably edit this to be a bit more coherent later since I literally JUST finished reading but this book was absolutely incredible and EVERYTHING that I adore in a ghost story/horror story. Many elements of it reminded me deeply of the Haunting series on Netflix (Haunting of Hill House and Bly Manor) which are my all time favorite horror stories ever, so that is a big praise! I love horror that is tragic and romantic and heartbreaking and scary all at the same time, and this was all of that.
I could see it as a fantastic film adaptation, but as it was, it was absolutely gorgeous. Beautifully written lyrical prose, historical fiction that felt actually rooted in its time period, descriptions that were so vivid, I found myself completely engaged throughout.
I'm a picky horror reader (and watcher) but this was EXACTLY the kind of tragic beautiful haunting ghost story that I adore, and will keep me thinking about it for a long time to come.
I could see it as a fantastic film adaptation, but as it was, it was absolutely gorgeous. Beautifully written lyrical prose, historical fiction that felt actually rooted in its time period, descriptions that were so vivid, I found myself completely engaged throughout.
I'm a picky horror reader (and watcher) but this was EXACTLY the kind of tragic beautiful haunting ghost story that I adore, and will keep me thinking about it for a long time to come.
4.5
I absolutely love and adore a good puzzle story, putting together all the hints everything I just love it, and Rawblood is so beautifully done, its amazing.
Its not a 5* because it felt something was....dragging in some part, I cant put my finger on it, it wasn't until 40% in that I was sure I was gonna finish it and not just dnf it!
The first chapter is the weakest imo, but its also really important lol, so don't be like me and actually pay attention.
I absolutely love and adore a good puzzle story, putting together all the hints everything I just love it, and Rawblood is so beautifully done, its amazing.
Its not a 5* because it felt something was....dragging in some part, I cant put my finger on it, it wasn't until 40% in that I was sure I was gonna finish it and not just dnf it!
The first chapter is the weakest imo, but its also really important lol, so don't be like me and actually pay attention.
Ward's debut is super atmospheric, filled with half-glimpsed things that go bump in the night and loads of gothic touches. It's creepy, but also breathlessly romantic.
Beautifully written and I think it needs to become a movie. If you like Haunting of Hill House, you’ll probably like this.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Christ, that was bleak.
ETA: Ok, I’m back with more of a review now I’ve slept on it.
First of all, I love Catriona Ward’s writing, she writes beautifully, and she has fantastic ideas, which is why I have read 3 of her books now and I will read more. That said, she doesn’t write a tight, cohesive story.
I went into Rawblood expecting a straightforward ghost story, and to an extent that’s what I got, but with a classic Catriona Ward twist towards the end which was so tragic I started crying immediately and didn’t stop til I had finished the book.
Catriona Ward has this strange quality to her writing wherein she can introduce 8 different character perspectives and have everything feel very chaotic whilst the narrative is also slow and takes a while to get through. I don’t know how to explain it, but this 400 page book felt twice as long and took me forever to finish even though I was enjoying it. I found the same thing with Little Eve and Needless Street.
I tried to explain the plot to my friend this morning and ended up confusing myself, which is not to say that I was confused while reading, but there were so many disparate perspectives and timelines it was easy to get a bit lost. Also had to keep referring to the family tree to see how characters were related!
Anyway, all this to say I really enjoyed the book, but it was chaotic whilst also dragging a bit. Also be aware of some quite graphic animal abuse (actually some of the most upsetting mental images I’ve had from a novel), and body horror elements (very effectively written!)
I still have Looking Glass Sound and Sundial on my shelves and I’m looking forward to them!
ETA: Ok, I’m back with more of a review now I’ve slept on it.
First of all, I love Catriona Ward’s writing, she writes beautifully, and she has fantastic ideas, which is why I have read 3 of her books now and I will read more. That said, she doesn’t write a tight, cohesive story.
I went into Rawblood expecting a straightforward ghost story, and to an extent that’s what I got, but with a classic Catriona Ward twist towards the end which was so tragic I started crying immediately and didn’t stop til I had finished the book.
Catriona Ward has this strange quality to her writing wherein she can introduce 8 different character perspectives and have everything feel very chaotic whilst the narrative is also slow and takes a while to get through. I don’t know how to explain it, but this 400 page book felt twice as long and took me forever to finish even though I was enjoying it. I found the same thing with Little Eve and Needless Street.
I tried to explain the plot to my friend this morning and ended up confusing myself, which is not to say that I was confused while reading, but there were so many disparate perspectives and timelines it was easy to get a bit lost. Also had to keep referring to the family tree to see how characters were related!
Anyway, all this to say I really enjoyed the book, but it was chaotic whilst also dragging a bit. Also be aware of some quite graphic animal abuse (actually some of the most upsetting mental images I’ve had from a novel), and body horror elements (very effectively written!)
I still have Looking Glass Sound and Sundial on my shelves and I’m looking forward to them!